President Zelensky Condemns Attacks on Grain Export Facilities, Russia Warns Shipping in the Black Sea Starting Today

Odesa Port, Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Yellow Chernilevsky)

JAKARTA - Russia warned that any ship sailing to Ukraine's Black Sea ports would be considered as potentially carrying military cargo from today, while Kyiv accused Moscow of carrying out attacks that damaged grain export infrastructure.

Russia attacked the Odesa region for the second straight night on Tuesday, after quitting a year-long deal that allowed the safe shipment of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea on Monday, a decision that prompted the United Nations to warn it risked creating worldwide famine.

Ukraine, which is looking to try to resume shipping of Black Sea grain essential to the global food supply, said on Wednesday it was setting up a temporary shipping route through Romania.

"Russian terrorists are really deliberately targeting the infrastructure of the grain deal," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on messaging app Telegram, cited from Reuters, July 20.

"Every Russian missile is an attack not only on Ukraine, but on all people in the world who want a normal and safe life," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine said 10 civilians, including a 9-year-old boy, were injured. The grain terminal as well as industrial facilities, warehouses, shopping centers, residential and administrative buildings, and cars, were damaged in the Russian attack.

Flames and smoke billowed from the destroyed warehouse in a video released by the emergencies ministry, which also shows a residential block with shattered windows.

Today's 🇷🇺 terrorists' attack on Odesa proves that their target is not only 🇺🇦, and not only the lives of our people. About a million tons of food is stored in the ports that were attacked today. This is the volume that should have been delivered to consumer countries in Africa… pic.twitter.com/7jbz9TaqKg

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 19, 2023

Separately, Russia said Wednesday it would consider all vessels traveling to Ukraine's Black Sea ports as potential military cargo carriers from midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT on Wednesday), following the expiration of the grain deal.

The Russian Defense Ministry said ships bearing the flags of those countries traveling to Ukrainian ports would be considered parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side. Although, the Ministry of Defense did not say what action might be taken.

In addition, Russia also declared that the southeastern and northwestern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea were temporarily unsafe for navigation.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday Russia's exit from the deal threatens to increase global food insecurity and could drive up food prices, especially in poor countries.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western countries had "completely distorted" the deal which had lapsed, but said Russia would soon return to the deal if all the conditions to do so were met.

Russia said it had attacked military targets in two Ukrainian port cities throughout Tuesday, as a "mass revenge attack" for the explosion that damaged its bridge to Crimea.

The Ukrainian air force said on Wednesday, 63 missiles and drones had been launched across the country by Russia, mainly focused on military infrastructure and facilities in the Odesa region.

Ukraine's air defenses had shot down 37 missiles and drones, he said, a lower proportion than is normally reported over months of strikes.

Most of the grain export infrastructure in the port of Chornomorsk southwest of Odesa was damaged, said Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solsky, adding that 60,000 tons of grain had been destroyed.

Ukraine's southern military command said Russia had used supersonic missiles, including the Kh-22 designed to attack aircraft carriers, to attack Odesa port infrastructure.